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Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

The daughter of a friend sent us a note, under the momentarily alarming subject heading "K***** needs help."

So to first explain the situation, we have some Friday night jam sessions at
the house where we all pick up an instrument and play music. Some really
good musicians are joining us these days. I think it would be really fun to
explore jazz, but I don't know where to start. I'm interested in singing
jazz, but nothing too insane in terms of vocals, something raspy or soft,
soulful. Who should I look too? What would be something easy to start off
with? Your advice and input would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

Great choice for her, Donn. Sarah Vaughan's bearing onstage actually reminds of this girl, although her delivery would be more like Astrud Gilberto's, unornamented & without much vibrato. I love how Laila Kinnunen hits the low notes.

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

Tom Waits' "New Coat of Paint" is a great bluesy one, easy to interpret for a newer artist ... though Waits' own voice isn't quite what she'd want to hear. Have her listen to Bob Seger's cover of it instead.

If I use the word "God," I sure don't mean an old man in the sky who just loves the occasional goat sacrifice. - Anne Lamott

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

Jazz means different things to different people. It's not a homogenous genre.

She might want to consider focusing on choosing a couple of songs, as opposed to immitating a specific artist. If she isn't familiar with jazz, then she may want to start by simply listening.

Pandora radio is an excellent resource. Plug in some of the names of singers mentioned in this thread, add Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday and she'll get hundreds of great songs.

Then there are the traditional jazz standards for singers: The Way You Look Tonight, My Funny Valentine, Autumn Leaves, Love for Sale, Willow Weep for Me, Summertime, Lover Man, All the Things You Are, You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To, I was Doin' Alright, Night and Day, Every Time We Say Goodbye, My One and Only Love, Bye Bye Blackbird, Let's Fall in Love, How Long Has This Been Going On, What's New, If I Were A Bell, etc.

Another good place to start would be the Songbook albums by Ella Fitzgerald -- She recorded the Gershwin songbook, and also the Jerome Kern songbook.

These suggestions reflect my bias toward standards as the best starting point.

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

Moondance, by Van Morrison

My favorite things, from the Sound of Music.

Slow down the tempo and work the beat and the held notes. 3/4 time is a great way to learn jazz singing (or instrumental soloing, for that matter); the natural syncopation of 3/4 time is easy to swing.

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

Originally Posted by Scott Rosen

She might want to consider focusing on choosing a couple of songs, as opposed to immitating a specific artist.

Definitely. There wouldn't have been much jazz around the house when she was growing up...Mom's a metalhead, and Dad likes techno & house. She's been singing for years with her li'l Montreal hipster friends, in a sort of open-hearted Indie pop style, I think.

I'm not going to drop the Great American Songbook in her lap. I just want a few things that might make her say: "I could do that!"

Of course, life moves quickly at that age, so it might not take root. A couple of months ago, she and her Mom were taking country music for a spin (I guess that didn't work out). I love these guys.

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

I'd bet her hipster friends would approve of Billie Holliday. Lots of bluesy songs. And she's got a story and pathos to go with it. Plus Billie would really annoy the crap out of her metalhead and techno parents--always a plus for a teenager. (I'd be glad to contribute to the annoyance of metal heads and technos, myself.) Real jazz is the antithesis to metal and especially techno.

If she really wants to annoy her parents, she should get a copy of the Lush Life album by Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane. I have it on good information that for teenage hipster jazz musicians, the only tune they actually know the words to is Lush Life.

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

I used to visit all the very gay places
Those come what may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life...
From jazz and cocktails.

The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
With distant gay traces
That used to be there you could see where they'd been washed away
By too many through the day...
Twelve o'clock tales.

Then you came along with your siren of song
To tempt me to madness!
I thought for a while that your poignant smile was tinged with the sadness
Of a great love for me.

Ah yes! I was wrong...
Again,
I was wrong.

Life is lonely again,
And only last year everything seemed so sure.
Now life is awful again,
A troughful of hearts could only be a bore.
A week in paris will ease the bite of it,
All I care is to smile in spite of it.

I'll forget you, I will
While yet you are still burning inside my brain.
Romance is mush,
Stifling those who strive.
I'll live a lush life in some small dive...
And there I'll be, while I rot
With the rest of those whose lives are lonely, too..

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

Quote Scott Rosen: "she should get a copy of the Lush Life album by Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane."
Oh yeah! What a great suggestion. Worth it just for the phrasing. Be a bit careful with a young voice though, let her use her natural voice, not attempt to emulate an adult voice tempered by age, late nights, alchohol and tobacco. Opera singers voices don't mature till they are 30 odd, I think that jazz singers are the same, As a teen she may find it some time before she finds her true voice. Good luck to her and I look forward to hearing her work one day.

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

How much does she actually want to do jazz? As in the harmonies and scales of Coltrane or Miles ... and the vocal stylings of Billie Holliday, Ella, or Nina Simone? Or how much is she just into not-commercial-rock?

The water can get pretty deep. You figure she can swim already, or would appreciate a bit of time in the shallow end first?

If I use the word "God," I sure don't mean an old man in the sky who just loves the occasional goat sacrifice. - Anne Lamott

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

Originally Posted by Bruce Taylor

Definitely. There wouldn't have been much jazz around the house when she was growing up...Mom's a metalhead, and Dad likes techno & house. She's been singing for years with her li'l Montreal hipster friends, in a sort of open-hearted Indie pop style, I think.

I'm not going to drop the Great American Songbook in her lap. I just want a few things that might make her say: "I could do that!"

Of course, life moves quickly at that age, so it might not take root. A couple of months ago, she and her Mom were taking country music for a spin (I guess that didn't work out). I love these guys.

Well, no reason some of the country standards can't be converted to Jazz and if she already knows her way around a few of them......

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

I've always liked Bonnie Rait. Her songs often sound simple, but that's because she's so damn good at what she does. She's got the phrasing and styling of the great jazz crooners. I think they'd be difficult for a teen, but well worth a listen.

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

I like "I've got you under my skin" either Diana Krall's silky version, or Dinah Washington's more powerful version. Almost any Dinah Washington, Billie Holliday, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughn or Blossom Deary would be classic. On the newer side, Renee Olested has some great new versions of the older classics. If she were to emulate any of these artists, she would do fine.

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

I was thinking bossa. You can't get much easier than one note, although the bridge adds a few more notes to the mix. Much as I love Ella, I don't think this tune is the best vehicle for scat. The title gives one a subtle hint as to the composer's intentions.

Re: Jazz songs for a teen...raspy, soft, soulful

Originally Posted by Scott Rosen

I was thinking bossa. .

I sent her two versions of Aguas de marco / The waters of march. One was a timeless version by Elis Regina. The other was a much less proficient, but still charming version, by someone named "Sofia" (more accessible to a kid, maybe):